The Corosive Alchemist
by Kiakae
Summary: Naray, a girl cursed by her parents fixation for power is left to struggle on the streets alone. When an unremarkable man invites her to study the mystical science that is alchemy, her life morphs from fear of experimentation to persuing adventure. OC fic
1. Chapter 1

The Corrosive Alchemist

Chapter1:

The agony only intensified as the night progressed. The Sarafite was once more causing intense pain for Naray. The last three episodes had been especially excruciating for her. Even after all 18 years of her challenging life; she still could not fully comprehend the triggers of her pain. She let out another wail in brutal agony from her secluded spot in the gutter. Central was an immense city which offered her no shelter and the frigid rain didn't help her suffering at all. She shook as she felt the Sarafite completing another circuit through her body and pumping steadily through her heart. Her struggle to even stay conscious was a losing battle but one she had to win for if she didn't, it would be another six hours at the least before she woke up.

The blue liquid passed through her heart finally and a break from the suffering was provided allowing her shallow gasps in relief. However, it was short lived as the pain returned and Naray couldn't help but scream out in distress, digging her warn down and blooded nails into the side walk. No one would ever hear her. She was marked by a symbol divided between her upper and lower lip. When she closed her mouth it completed a deadly transmutation circle created by her parents. She was only ever born to be an experiment used by those monsters.

Her parents were Scientists from the broad category of alchemy. A science based off the principle that for mankind to gain anything, something of equal value must be returned. They were researching using a blue liquid that they had created called Sarafite. It was harmless in normal form but when transmuted it could be used as an extremely high level corrosive and acidic liquid. The research that they were conducting consisted of supplementing saliva for Sarafite. They were inhumanly using innocent animals as testers, mercilessly injecting the Sarafite into them like they were toys. Unfortunately, the Sarafite continually thieved the lives of their experiments. The conclusion of their efforts was that most animals could not sustain the liquid for more than a few days due to the Sarafite infecting the blood stream and causing their heart to stop.

Most of them didn't have the capacity to withhold the blue liquid for more than a few days. But soon they discovered that it was possible that a human child could survive with this liquid pulsating throughout their body. The idea was that a humans spit glands would only let out a minimal amount of the blue liquid into the bloodstream. It would be a life of agony, but a life of power. So, they made a soulless decision to have a baby as an experiment to conclude whether the child could withstand Sarafite and function properly.

They conceived the child for their research and it developed in the mother's body. The mother however only saw her child as a form of alchemy and did not take into consideration restrictions of physical activity, alcohol and other precautions when creating a healthy child. However they still produced a fully functional, unharmed, daughter aside from their mishaps.

As it turned out; once they injected the blue liquid into their daughter's body she didn't stop crying for weeks. When they tattooed the transmutation symbol into her lips, she was in constant pain. In the end they deserted their new born baby at only four weeks old; leaving her in a box on the side of the street with a sign saying 'help me' taped to the cardboard.

Fortunately a young couple found her and handed her into an orphanage where she grew up having torturous episodes and as a result of this was often isolated from her peers. As her age increased the pain became less constant with the strengthening of all her body's systems. At the age of eighteen, Naray had been kicked out of the orphanage for her frequent and disastrous use of alchemy and was forced to live the life of a beggar bearing the transmutation symbol her parents embedded into her.

Unfortunately for her parents, they were correct in thinking the child could survive. The problem was that not that she was a failed experiment but that the baby needed to time to develop in order for the Sarafite to affect the spit glands to the full extent. When this happened at around the age of four, Naray found that her saliva was in fact Sarafite in its non harmful state. She taught herself alchemy after stealing a book on the basics from the library. Naturally she was unaware of the simplicity in applying for a card. Soon she found the way to transmute her spit into the highly corrosive, acidic liquid that was originally intended, using the transmutation symbol as a lethal weapon. With her ability she was provided the equipment to burn acidic holes through almost anything.

The one thing that was resistant to her acidic saliva was wooden materials. She, with her limited knowledge, had only a vague idea of what the cause of this was. Her basic search about the elements that wood consists of lead her to the conclusion that when the acid that Sarafite produced came in contact with wood, every single element in the wood would react with every element in the Sarafite. Because of this, instead of the acid reacting to be corrosive and deadly, it morphed back into her original saliva like state becoming harmless and no more than a basic fluid. With her little research sources, her research had concluded there and she had had no luck in attempting to further it.

The Sarafite however, along with causing excruciating pain every month or so, had other side effects. Some of Naray's features had changed. Her hair was blonde, long and perfectly straight however unkempt, except had a feint blue shine. Her eyes were a piercing and icy blue while her teeth also were stained this colour from the Sarafite. This was yet another reason for her solitude. She was positive that her strange appearance could never be accepted by society as she was labeled unapproachable. This, of course was entirely because of her appearance and not her distant and stoic nature.

She could already tell that the episode was coming to an end. After a long hour of pain resulting in her falling semi conscious, this was a blissful relief. It would be a while before another batch of the Sarafite infected her blood flow. She was free to continue her life, or what was left of it. She got up off the floor after a period of resting her body and watched central's lights turn on as people began their day. She could see that the sun was beginning to rise and thoughts of food entered her mind causing her warn down stomach to growl. Starvation was creeping in, apparent by her unusually slender appearance: she needed food.

Naray gingerly walked to her usual spot on the pavement. A tall lanky figure usually passed through this area. He, although bitter, belittling and silently cunning, usually provided Naray with a small amount of his food; at least enough to sustain her for a while. As she waited for him to appear, she saw central coming to life. People started emerging from their houses and immersing themselves in their daily work. Young children allowed out of their house had resumed their daily routine, attending school. An experience Naray could never have fathomed. But when dazing and wallowing in the thought of an education, Naray didn't notice the young child approaching her. She snapped out of it when a small object flew at her head. The young rebel had released a small pebble from his slingshot aimed straight for Naray's head. A group of what seemed to be school mates watched and smeared at what obviously was meant to be a show of courage.

As the child reloaded, Naray was already in the process of fooling his next projectile. She had started drawing a transmutation circle on the stone pavement with the blood ebbing from her bleeding nails. As the boy released his next stone, Naray activated the circle and a giant hand leapt from the pavement that clasped around the young boy. He struggled and his posy fled with a look of terror while screaming for help. His wriggling only quickened as Naray neared him. The boy looked like a ghost when she stopped in front of him. He shouted that he surrendered and closed his tiny eyes as Naray drew another transmutation circle on the fist. This time using chalk, making an eardrum bursting sound. Everyone in the street was staring, not daring to interfere with Naray and the boy's conflict. He took a final gulp as the sweat streamed down his face and Naray placed her hands on the circle. A bright blue light illuminated the fist and it disappeared leaving only a crack in the pavement and the boy petrified on top.

"Do not throw anything at me ever again, okay?" Naray whispered in a frosty and threatening voice which caressed his ear warmly and left him petrified. With that final remark the boy fled after his friends like a mouse running away from a lion. She was satisfied with her achievements. She had not been able to make a fist that big before. With the limited amount of stone in the ground; she had done well. However when she caught a glimpse of the police rushing towards her from the corner of her eye, she knew she had made a mistake. She vaguely heard them shouting abuse her way and when she turned to face they were already within a few paces of her. As the officer began booming at her his words seemingly slurred as Naray's thoughts drifted towards nightmares of a life in prison. Being there for even a short amount of time had been excruciating and with a crime like the one she had just committed, she could very well be there indefinitely. However, her thoughts were interrupted when the officer's gibberish came to an abrupt stop. Naray's world snapped back into focus and she saw the officers frozen to their place saluting something behind her.

"Well that was exciting," said a voice from behind her. She turned on her heels and gathered saliva in her mouth. Ready at any time to release the Sarafite and transmute it. She turned to face her lanky friend holding his palm out to the authorities. He had silenced them. His hand wavered and the police turned and began patrolling the rest of the streets. Her friend was fingering a piece of bread smeared with a bright sweet jam. The smell intensified Naray's hunger and she collapsed to the floor and gazed longingly at the soft delight. A meal that was almost vital. She could only beg and plea without words, her previous act of strength demolished by hunger. "You are quite a talented alchemist considering, of course, you are a street dweller." He threw her the bread which she fumbled with but devoured in seconds, cherishing the sweet sensation that was inside her mouth. "Meet me here at the same time tomorrow and we can talk about your future. Possibly consisting of an apprenticeship. One of alchemy, beneath me, the pitch alchemist."


	2. Chapter 2

Slumped in the filth and dust of the pavement at nearly midnight, Naray's mind was bombarded with questions and thoughts of new opportunities. Her head hurt from exploring the possible future that could occur should she accept help. Being able to discover how Sarafite to causes her such pain. Even better, how to relieve herself for the burden of the curse. Pictures of her becoming a State alchemist were printed to her consciousness. The uniform. The status. The title. The privileges. This goal was seemingly out of reach at this stage however it existed and could possibly be attained. The more she thought about it the more she found the benefits and was blinded by the hope. Though, one thought lingered more so than others like a moth to a light bulb. The insane prospect of finding her parents and dealing their judgment. Finding them, come face to face with them. More rage formed and Naray pounded the ground, tears welling in her eyes. One thing was for sure, although there were doubts and fears of what was to come, Naray would accept this man's request and become strong enough to confront her parents. Blinking back the tears that seemed to weigh her down, she stood up, breathing the air that carried her determination.

As she stood in the lively streets of Central she enjoyed the sun warming her back. A rare pleasure concidering she was always running from officials and hiding in dark alleys. She still composed herself in order to seem unapproachable. Rigid back, standing tall, intense eyes. When she was young, Naray had grown accustom to being alienated, now she felt uncomfortable when someone tried to get close to her. Staying alone was better for everyone.

She caught a glance of the man talking to a group of people behind her. Obviously deep in conversation and apparently in an argument. The controversy was resolved when the female of the group held up her hands as if to say don't shoot them and the man gingerly striding towards Naray. Naray averted her eyes suddenly feeling invasive. She managed to look vaguely oblivious to the previous discussion that the man had. As he neared her she faked seeing him for the first time and turned give him a passive and tired look. "So have u thought about my offer?" He asked in the same patronizing monotone. He seemed bored and uncaring.

Naray observed him. Anything to get some information about this man she didn't know. She noticed the trench coat covered his entire body except for his shoes. She took this as him being conservative, a characteristic that Naray found appealing as it suited her nature. It usually meant he didn't like conversation unless short and direct. His shoes also told her that he was extremely wealthy. With black patent tops and grey intricate highlights, she could tell he was not in financial trouble and avoided unnecessary scuffles. Although his hands were inside his pockets, she noticed the bulges of his palms and fingers. She could see presumably a wedding ring on his finger which meant that he found Someone that would put up with the stoic appearance he presented. She also noticed that in his other pocket he was fingering an object with a chain hanging out his pocket. A clink of a chain hitting a metal object; perhaps a pocket watch. His hair untidy and she found herself thinking that he is the type not to take pride in his appearance. He had a strong face and was overall a handsome man although the wrinkles and bags under his eyes added years to his appearance. She noticed him watching her analyze him and she felt her cheeks flush crimson. Again she averted her eyes, embarrassed by her obvious actions.

"u-um yes thanks. I would love to be your apprentice." She stammered as politely as she knew how to be. She felt herself slipping from control of the situation but then thought of her parents and jumped into the next sentence. "But on my terms" she punctuated. "Firstly, I don't want to have to sleep in some dingy apartment by myself, I want to live in substantial living quarters near you and your wife's house," she quietly cursed herself for revealing she knew he had a wife but she didn't let it stop her Confidence. "Second of all, I expect food and drink available to me at all times and to have access to a library of some sort. I need periods of breaks in between training as I do not want to be worked to my brink."

"Well I don't know if u realize sweet heart, but this is benefiting you and not me. You don't get to arrange the terms and conditions; however, I admire your confidence. All that will be arranged."

"Lastly," she added while ignoring his warning. "I don't wish to be called sweetheart or any other belittling and pathetically stupid nick name." She said, mimicking his monotone language whilst staring him down. The man chuckled to himself.  
"You are amusing. I am sure I am going to enjoy myself with this." He grunted. "Follow me and we can go to your, what did you call it? 'Living quarters? Yes that was it." He started to walk away from her and when he noticed he wasn't being followed, he turned again to face Naray.

"I do not enjoy being mocked 'sweet heart' and before we go anywhere I would like to point out you have yet to give me your name." she glared at the man.

"I don't enjoy being mocked either. Seems we have a lot in common. I am Daleck Brown however to you, I am Mr. Brown or General Brown, and I do like sweetheart. And what may your name be?"

"Naray, now are we leaving or not Daleck? Oh yes that's right, I like to have a first name basis. They are far better." The man chuckled to himself again and gestured for her to follow him. They walked to his car in silence. The excitement for Naray to ride in her first car was almost unbearable but she managed to stay composed in the sight of Mr. Brown. Once inside, Mr. Brown began to talk.

"You will be living with me and as you guessed it, my wife. We live not to far from here, possibly a 10 minute drive. You will be allowed to venture freely on the bottom two levels however you are prohibited from the top floor as that is our bedroom. You can help yourself to food and drink from the kitchen but only from the bottom two shelves. The top shelve is reserved for me and my wife's food only. Please don't consume the whole kitchen; our maids don't enjoy grocery shopping. For our services of training you and feeding you, you will be required to do some work for my work place, for example cleaning up the office or someone's desk and perhaps later assisting in research. Oh, by the way, I work for the state as an alchemist. Naray instantly thought to the pocket watch and made the connection. You will wake up at six and report to work with me, then you will return home with me at noon and we will start your training." Naray found herself pondering over how short his work days were compared to most people of the state. She often noticed them coming out at night, tired and sleepy. "After five o'clock in the afternoon" He continued "you can have leisure that you can spend at your will. Our library is yours for research however the area behind the third set of shelves is restricted." The rules continued and Naray tried her best to keep mental note of things. All in all they seemed strict but fair. She knew that her time here would be descent as long as she didn't over think anything and kept to his guide lines. However her mind seemed to drift off towards the end of Daleck's speech as she dazed about the concept of a fridge and full meals.

She felt the car jolt as it pulled itself onto the driveway and clutched the door handle in shock. She snapped out of her day dream and lifted her gaze up to admire the house. When she caught sight of the mansion she couldn't do anything except admire its architectural beauty. The three story house was massive and say prominently on a garden the size of a park. Dotted with trees and rose bushes, sculptures making it only more aesthetically pleasing. However the house stole the attention. Pillars guarding the grand entrance, large windows set into its old walls. The classic and delicate structure of the house was what made the house so admirable.

As the car pulled to stop outside the entrance, Naray opened the door and followed Daleck through to find that the inside was just as magnificent. A glass chandelier graced the ceiling and a giant marble staircase lead the way to the next story. A little old fashioned for the time that they were in, however still stunning and highly contrasting the alchemist's appearance. "Your Room is this way." She turned to see Daleck pointing to another corridor. Naray followed the direction he was signaling to and continued until she heard him opening a door behind her. "This is your room." She stepped inside to find a dazzling, furnished space with comfortable looking lounges and a plushy bed. It wasn't as beautiful as the rest of the house but it was fantastic compared to living in the cold streets. She went to sit on her new gigantic bed and She heard Daleck move out and close the door with the last remark of, "get cleaned up, you stink. There's clean more 'appropriate' clothing in the draws." Enjoying the soft feeling of the bed on her skin, she found herself smiling. After thoroughly exploring her room she opened the door that was testing her inquisitive nature. A large on suite lived behind it. She heard what she presumed was a maid bustling past the hallway and continued her exploring, nothing disturbing the silence except the occasional creak in the floor boards under her bare feet. After the initial sock of having an on suite passed she noticed a bath tub decorated with a rich, gold flowing design. She turned the tap on and felt the warm water on her fingers. Soon she sunk into the soothing water and drifted into a deep sleep letting dreams of finding her parents and having a pocket watch of her own fill her mind.


End file.
